The Department of Health (DOH), led by Secretary Ted Herbosa, participated in the 36th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) in Geneva, Switzerland recently.
Hosted by the Government of Kiribati, the 36th CHMM was convened under the theme “Actionable Solutions to Building Resilience in Healthcare Systems within the Commonwealth, with an Emphasis on Small and Vulnerable States”.
The Philippines was invited as an observer country.
The Philippines, invited as an observer country, had the optimal opportunity to discuss through Herbosa the country’s diplomatic initiative on promoting a sustainable and equitable global health workforce.
“In the Philippines, we have invested in strengthening health education and training of health workers. We have implemented pre-service scholarship programs and a Medical Scholarship Return Service Program sponsored by the government,” Herbosa said.
“The DOH believes that this may lead to the increased employment and better retention of healthcare workers.”
“Through these, we are able to contribute to wider geographic coverage of health education and training of health workers. The DOH believes that this may lead to the increased employment and better retention of healthcare workers especially in parts of the Philippines in need,” the health chief added.
